Kyiv: Russia attacked cities across Ukraine on Monday with a missile barrage that killed more than three dozen people and ripped open a children’s hospital in Kyiv, an assault condemned as a ruthless attack on civilians.
Dozens of volunteers including hospital staff and rescue workers dug through debris from the Okhmatdyt paediatric hospital in a desperate search for survivors after the rare day-time bombardment, AFP journalists on the scene saw.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched dozens of missiles toward five towns and cities in southern and eastern Ukraine as well as the capital.
At least 37 people were killed, including three children, with more than 170 wounded, Zelensky said.
The strikes damaged nearly 100 buildings, including multiple schools and a maternity hospital, he added.
The air force said air defense systems downed 30 projectiles.
“It is necessary to shoot down Russian missiles. It is necessary to destroy the Russian combat aircraft on its bases. It is necessary to take strong steps that will not leave any security deficit,” Zelensky said ahead of a NATO summit where arming Ukraine’s air defenses is expected to top the agenda.
Zelensky called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the barrage and urged Ukraine’s allies to deliver “a stronger response” to Russia’s attack.
Following the strikes, US President Joe Biden on Monday promised “new measures” to boost Ukraine’s air defenses.
“Together with our allies, we will be announcing new measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to help protect their cities and civilians from Russian strikes,” Biden said.
UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the “abominable” Russian strikes, while the body’s chief Antonio Guterres said attacking medical facilities was “particularly shocking,” according to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The United States denounced “another savage missile attack on civilians,” while the European Union slammed Moscow for its “ruthless” actions.
France’s foreign ministry called the bombardment of a children’s hospital “barbaric,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the attack as “abhorrent” and Japan’s government spokesman “strongly condemned” the strike.
Kyiv said the children’s hospital had been struck by a Russian cruise missile with components produced in NATO member countries and announced a day of mourning in the capital.
Russia hit back claiming the extensive missile damage in Kyiv was caused by Ukrainian air defense systems.
Moscow said its forces had struck their “intended targets,” which it added were only defense industry and military installations.
Medical staff acted quickly to move patients and personnel to the facility’s basement after air raid sirens rang out over Kyiv on Monday.
“For some reason, we always thought that Okhmatdyt was protected,” said Nina, a 68-year-old hospital employee.
“We were 100 percent sure that they would not hit here,” she told AFP, describing the frantic rush as staff moved children with IV drips to the bunker.
Officials said the attack had also damaged several residential buildings and an office block in Kyiv where AFP reporters saw cars on fire and shredded trees in charred courtyards.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said three of its electrical substations had been destroyed or damaged in Kyiv. Russian strikes on electricity infrastructure have already halved Ukrainian generation capacity in recent weeks compared to one year ago.
Russian forces have repeatedly targeted the capital with massive barrages since invading Ukraine in February 2022, and the last major attack on Kyiv with drones and missiles was last month.
The emergency services said 22 people were killed in Kyiv on Monday, including at both medical facilities hit in the attack, and that another 72 had been wounded.
In Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rig, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian bombardment, the strikes killed at least 10 and wounded more than 41, officials there said.
In Dnipro, a city of around one million people in the same region, one person was killed and six more were wounded, the region’s governor said, when a high-rise residential building and petrol station were hit.
And in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have taken a string of villages in recent weeks, the regional governor said three people were killed in Pokrovsk — a town that had a pre-war population of around 60,000 people.
“This shelling targeted civilians, hit infrastructure, and the whole world should see today the consequences of terror, which can only be responded to by force,” the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, wrote on social media.
Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv have been urging Ukraine’s allies to send more air defense systems, including Patriots, to help fend off deadly Russian aerial bombardment.
“Russia cannot claim ignorance of where its missiles are flying and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes,” Zelensky said in another post on social media.
Russian missiles kill 37 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital
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Russian missiles kill 37 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched dozens of missiles toward five towns and cities in southern and eastern Ukraine as well as the capital
- At least 37 people were killed, including three children, with more than 170 wounded, Zelensky sai
Supporters say Iranian Nobel winner’s health deteriorating in prison
- Rights activist Narges Mohammedi, 52, has been jailed since November 2021, and has spent much of the past decade in and out of prison
PARIS: The health of jailed Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammedi has deteriorated in prison, supporters said Thursday, demanding her freedom and calling to give her access to medical care “without delay.”
Rights activist Mohammedi, 52, has been jailed since November 2021, and has spent much of the past decade in and out of prison.
A group of supporters of Mohammedi, who in 2023 won the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her advocacy work, said they had been informed of the results of medical tests carried out last month “which showed a worrying deterioration of her health.”
“The Free Narges Coalition is extremely worried about the deterioration of Narges Mohammadi’s health in detention,” the group said in a statement, noting cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and other risks.
Mohammedi, who is held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, should be released “immediately” and have access to medical care “without delay,” the coalition added.
In the past eight months, Mohammedi has been suffering from acute back and knee pain, including a herniated spinal disc, the supporters said.
Mohammedi has kept campaigning even behind bars and strongly supported the protests that erupted across Iran following the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini who had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic republic’s strict dress rules for women.
In recent weeks, Mohammedi and other women held with her at Evin have staged protests in the prison yard against death sentences handed to two Iranian Kurdish activists, Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammedi who were tried for membership of an illegal armed group.
Narges Mohammedi in June received a new one-year prison term for “propaganda against the state,” on top of a litany of other verdicts that already amounted to 12 years and three months of imprisonment, 154 lashes, two years of exile and various social and political restrictions.
Murray’s career ends in Olympic Games defeat
- The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner slipped into retirement when he and Dan Evans were defeated in the men’s doubles quarter-finals
- The 37-year-old Murray had already announced that the Olympics would be his last event
PARIS: Andy Murray’s trophy-filled career came to an end at the Paris Olympics on Thursday as another chapter closed on tennis’s golden generation.
The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner slipped into retirement when he and Dan Evans were defeated in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul delivered the knockout blow with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on a packed Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The 37-year-old Murray had already announced that the Olympics would be his last event.
One of the ‘Big Four’ in the sport, Murray joins 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in retirement after the Swiss great quit in 2022.
Rafael Nadal, the winner of 22 majors but battling more injuries at the age of 38, exited the Paris Olympics on Wednesday and suggested that he had played his last match at Roland Garros where he won 14 of his Slams.
Nadal also effectively ruled himself out of the US Open, sparking more speculation that the great Spaniard is also finished in the sport.
That would leave just 37-year-old Novak Djokovic, the winner of a record 24 Grand Slams, still active among the sport’s eminent talents who have carved up 69 majors between them.
Murray famously ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion at Wimbledon when he triumphed in 2013, defeating career-long rival Djokovic in the final.
He added a second title in 2016, taking his career majors total to three after breaking his duck at the 2012 US Open.
Murray won gold at the 2012 Olympics on an emotional day at the All England Club when he defeated Federer just weeks after he had lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss on the same Center Court.
Four years later, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become the first player, male or female, to win two Olympic singles golds.
Murray also led Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015, the country’s first in 79 years.
He has won 46 titles in all and banked around $65 million in prize money.
However, he has been ravaged by injuries in recent years, slumping to 117th in the world.
The Scot has played with a metal hip since 2019 and suffered ankle damage earlier this year before undergoing surgery to remove a spinal cyst, which ruled him out of singles at Wimbledon.
Instead, he played doubles with brother Jamie and was defeated in the first round before an emotional tribute arranged by tournament chiefs.
“It’s hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” admitted Murray at the All England Club.
“Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant.”
Men’s tennis has already opened up a new frontier.
Jannik Sinner, the 22-year-old Italian, succeeded Djokovic as Australian Open champion in January and eventually took his world number one ranking.
Carlos Alcaraz, 21, won the French Open and successfully defended his Wimbledon title, sweeping Djokovic off court in a one-sided final in July.
Turkiye blocks NATO-Israel cooperation over Gaza war
- Ankara ‘will not allow Israel to continue its interaction with NATO until there is an end to the conflict,’ source says
ANKARA: Turkiye has blocked cooperation between NATO and Israel since October because of the war in Gaza and said the alliance should not engage with Israel as a partner until there is an end to the conflict, sources familiar with the process said.
Israel carries the status of NATO partner and has fostered close relations with the military alliance and some of its members, notably its biggest ally the US.
Prior to Israel’s offensive in Gaza — prompted by Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage — NATO member Turkiye had been working to mend its long-strained ties with Israel.
Since then, Ankara has been fiercely critical of Israel’s operation in Gaza, which it says amounts to a genocide, and has halted all bilateral trade.
It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said Turkiye had vetoed all NATO engagement with Israel since October, including joint meetings and exercises, viewing Israel’s “massacre” of Palestinians in Gaza as a violation of NATO’s founding principles.
A UN inquiry in June found that both Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war.
It said Israel’s actions constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses. Israel rejects this and says its operation in Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,000 people, aims to eradicate Hamas.
The sources said Turkiye would maintain this block and not allow Israel to continue or advance its interaction with NATO until there was an end to the conflict, as it believes Israel’s actions in Gaza violate international law and universal human rights.
After a NATO summit in Washington in July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was not possible for NATO to continue its partnership with the Israeli administration.
Earlier this week, Israel’s foreign minister urged the alliance to expel Turkiye after Erdogan appeared to threaten to enter Israel, as it had Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh in the past.
Erdogan has condemned the “perfidious assassination” in Tehran of his close ally and “brother” Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas.
“May God have mercy on my brother Ismail Haniyeh, fallen in martyrdom after this odious attack,” Erdogan wrote on the X social media platform, denouncing “Zionist barbarity.”
“This shameful act aims to sabotage the Palestinian cause, the glorious Gazan resistance and our Palestinian brothers’ just fight, and to intimidate Palestinians,” Erdogan added.
Thousands of protesters marched after evening prayers in Istanbul to condemn the killing, many waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans hostile to Israel, while an Israeli flag was burned.
“I am here because Israel martyred the representative of the Palestinian people,” said 44-year-old demonstrator Mehmet.
“The great powers have an important role to play. If they don’t prevent these massacres ... history will accuse us of looking on.”
Shaqraa Tohari, aged 105, shatters literacy barriers in Jazan
- Mother of nine is just one of more than 800 elderly people in the region to take part in literacy campaign
- Learning to read and write a key pillar of the government’s efforts to empower elderly citizens
MAKKAH: Over 800 elderly men and women, including a 105-year-old woman, participated in the literacy campaign held this summer by the Saudi Ministry of Education, represented by the General Administration of Education, in Jazan.
Around 233 male and 599 female students enrolled in 28 educational centers across the region in Samtah, Ahad al-Masarihah, Al-Harth and Al-Aridhah governorates.
Several educational, cultural, social and health activities and events were held in partnership with government agencies and the nonprofit sector.
These activities aim to develop the beneficiaries’ life skills and ensure they achieve their educational and cultural goals to guarantee their equitable and comprehensive quality education.
One such student was 105-year-old Shaqraa Tohari, who enrolled herself at Al-Dabra educational center in Ahad Al-Masarihah, reflecting her strong desire to learn reading and writing.
She said she felt elated standing next to the board to write the alphabet, or sitting on her seat to write and read numbers, or read Surah Al-Fatiha or short surahs from the Holy Qur’an, all the while enjoying the support of her teachers.
“I was passionate about learning how to read and write, even if I am past 100 years old. It is a dream I have waited to realize for many years and decades,” she said.
“Despite all the challenges and the fact of me getting older, this dream has become a reality. It is a golden opportunity that I could have never missed,” said Tohari.
The centurion revealed that she spent her life raising her five sons and four daughters. She educated them and dedicated her life for them.
However, in the depth of her soul, she always wished to be able to teach them and help them do their homework.
“The Kingdom’s interest in providing education for all and eradicating illiteracy helped me achieve my dream. It motivated me and the women from my village to move forward in terms of learning and catch up with what we have missed.
“Education and learning are everyone’s dream, aimed towards eradicating ignorance and illiteracy.
“(We) have been enriching their knowledge with simple science facts provided by their teacher in the elderly education center,” she added.
Tohari’s son, Ibrahim, said that his mother was extremely happy to enrol in the adult education program, as it represents the dream she has been waiting to achieve for many decades, believing in her right to learn, write and read, like other women.
Ibrahim’s 35-year-old sister, Nourah, drives their mother to the educational center every afternoon, and her other children help her with school work.
On successfully completing her first year, Ibrahim said, the women of the village were extremely proud of his mother.
Ibrahim stated that what distinguishes his mother is her keenness and determination to complete her studies and learn new subjects.
Saudi sprinter Hiba Malm to miss 100m race due to injury
- The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee says on X that she suffered an injury to a metatarsal during training on Wednesday
PARIS: The Saudi team’s medical staff at the Paris Olympic Games announced on Thursday that sprinter Hiba Malm had suffered an injury that will prevent her from competing in Friday’s 100m race.
The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee said on X that the sprinter suffered an injury to a metatarsal during training on Wednesday. The committee wished the runner a speedy recovery.
Malm is the 100m and 200m national record holder and the sole female representative for Saudi Arabia in athletics. The 23-year-old sprinter was granted a wildcard in the 100m event in Paris and was looking forward to improving her personal best time of 12.24 seconds.
Meanwhile, shot putter Mohammed Tolo is set to begin his participation in the Olympics, while Hussain Al-Hizam will take part in the pole vault on Saturday.
